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Older Adult Drivers						Print
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			Thousands of older adults are injured or killed in the United States every year in traffic crashesAge, gender, and age-related changes are major risk factorsKey steps to staying safe on the roadsAdditional steps to stay safe on the roadCDC ResourcesAdditional ResourcesPublications with More InformationReferences
		
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In 2020, there were almost 48 million licensed drivers ages 65 and older in the United States. This is a 68% increase since 2000.1
Driving helps older adults stay mobile and independent. But the risk of being injured or killed in a traffic crash increases as people age.
Thankfully, older adults can take steps to stay safer on the roads.Thousands of older adults are injured or killed in the United States every year in traffic crashesIn 2020, about 7,500 older adults were killed in traffic crashes, and almost 200,000 were treated in emergency departments for crash injuries.2 This means that each day, 20 older adults are killed and almost 540 are injured in crashes.Top of PageAge, gender, and age-related changes are major risk factorsDrivers aged 70+ have higher crash death rates per 1,000 crashes than middle-aged drivers (aged 35-54).3 Higher crash death rates among this age group are primarily due to increased vulnerability to injury in a crash.
Across all age groups, males have substantially higher crash death rates than females.4
Age-related changes in vision, physical functioning, and the ability to reason and remember, as well as some diseases and medications, might affect some older adults’ driving abilities.5Top of PageKey steps to staying safe on the roadsThe good news is that older adults are more likely to have safer driving behaviors than other age groups.
Taking these key steps can help adults of all ages, including older adults, stay safe on the road:
**Always wear a seat belt as a driver or passenger**
Seat belt use is one of the most effective ways to save lives and reduce injuries in crashes.6
**Drive when conditions are safest**
Drive during daylight and in good weather. Conditions such as poor weather7 and driving at night8 increase the likelihood of crash injuries and deaths.
**Don’t drink and drive**
Drinking and driving increases the risk of being in a crash because alcohol reduces coordination and impairs judgment.Top of PageAdditional steps to stay safe on the roadUse CDC’s MyMobility Plan, a plan to stay mobile and independent as you age.
Follow a regular activity program to increase strength and flexibility.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist to review medicines—both prescription and over-the counter—to reduce side effects and interactions. Read the Are Your Medicines Increasing Your Risk of a Fall or a Car Crash fact sheet to learn more.
Have your eyes checked by an eye doctor at least once a year. Wear glasses and corrective lenses as required.
Plan your route before you drive.
Find the safest route with well-lit streets, intersections with left-turn signals, and easy parking.
Leave a large following distance between your car and the car in front of you.
Avoid distractions in your car, such as listening to a loud radio, talking or texting on your phone, and eating.
Consider potential alternatives to driving, such as riding with a friend, using ride share services, or taking public transit.Top of PageCDC Resources""
Older Drivers: Stay Safe Behind the Wheel
CDC’s MyMobility Plan
Still Going Strong Campaign
NIOSH: Older Drivers in the Workplace: How Employers and Workers Can Prevent Crashes [PDF – 6 pages]Top of PageAdditional ResourcesAAA: Senior Driver Safety and Mobility
AARP: Driver Safety
American Occupational Therapy Association: Driving and Community Mobility
Clearinghouse for Older Road User Safety (CHORUS)
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Older Drivers
Rides In Sight
University of Michigan, Transportation Research Institute: Driving Decisions WorkbookTop of PagePublications with More InformationBeck LF, Luo F, West BA. Examining patterns of driving avoidance behaviors among older people using latent class analysis. *Journal of Applied Gerontology* 2022; e-pub ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648221086953
Siegfried AL, Bayne A, Beck LF, Freund K. Older adult willingness to use fully autonomous vehicle (FAV) ride sharing. *Geriatrics*2021;6(2):47.
Bayne A, Siegfried A, Beck LF, Freund K. Barriers and facilitators of older adults’ use of ride share services. *Journal of Transport and Health*2021;21:101055.
Freund K, Bayne A, Beck, L, Siegfried A, Warren J, Nadel T, Natarajan A. Special report from the CDC: Characteristics of ride share services for older adults in the United States [PDF – 25 pages] *Journal of Safety Research* 2020;72:9-19.
Freund K, Bayne A, Siegfried A, Warren J, Nadel T, Natarajan A, Beck, L. 2019. Environmental scan of ride share services available for older adults [White paper] Chicago; NORC at the University of Chicago.
Bergen G, West BA, Luo F, Bird DC, Freund K, Fortinsky RH, Staplin L. How do older adult drivers self-regulate? Characteristics of self-regulation classes defined by latent class analysis. *Journal of Safety Research*2017; 61: 205-210.
Bird DC, Freund K, Fortinsky RH, Staplin L, West BA, Bergen G, Downs J. Driving self-regulation and ride service utilization in a multicommunity, multistate sample of U.S. older adults. *Traffic Injury Prevention* 2017; 18: 267-272.Top of PageReferencesFederal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation (US). Highway Statistics 2020. Washington (DC): FHWA; 2021. Available at: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2020/. Accessed 21 April 2022.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). Atlanta, GA: CDC; 2022. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars. Accessed 21 April 2022.
Cox AE and Cicchino JB. Continued trends in older driver crash involvement rates in the United States: Data through 2017–2018. *Journal of Safety Research*2021; 77: 288-295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2021.03.013
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Fatality facts 2020, Older people. Arlington (VA): IIHS; 2022. Available at: https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/older-people. Accessed 21 April 2022.
Pomidor A, ed. *Clinician’s Guide to Assessing and Counseling Older Drivers, 4th Edition.* New York: The American Geriatrics Society; 2019. Available at: https://geriatricscareonline.org/toc/clinicians-guide-to-assessing-and-counseling-older-drivers-4th-edition/B047
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation (US). Traffic Safety Facts: 2019 Data: Occupant Protection. US Department of Transportation, Washington (DC): 2021. Available at: https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813176. Accessed 21 April 2022.
Malin F, Norros I, Innamma S. Accident risk of road and weather conditions on different road types. *Accident Analysis and Prevention*2019; 122: 181-188; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2018.10.014.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation (US). Traffic Safety Facts: 2007 Data: Passenger vehicle occupant fatalities by day and night- a contrast. US Department of Transportation, Washington (DC): 2007. Available at: https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/810637. Accessed 21 April 2022.Top of Page
							
					
							Last Reviewed:  June 28, 2022						Source: 	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
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